‘Guest Worker’ Cause

The Senate committee in its report ruled that a ‘guest worker ’ scheme for Pacific Islanders in A ustralia was ‘impractical at this stage ’.

But the idea of launching such a scheme was given support by PI M’s publisher, Stuart Inder, at a hearing of the committee m Sydney in July 1977. He said: ‘ About two years ago I stopped ofi at Tuvalu the very day Tuvalu came into existence on October I, 1975. In fact the whole cabinet was there at the airport At the time there had been newspaper talk of the possibility that phosphate mines would be opened up in Queensland.

I s P° ke t 0 all these fellows and the questions from all of them were: “Why can’t we come into Australia? We need the money We are pretty good at phosphate work. We have been working up at Nauru and Ocean Island for all these years. We can do that specialised work. Is there any reason in the world why we cannot come into this country for six months at a time? ' We are pretty good and we can send the money home and we can go back later. ”

I have heard this story so often over so many years that there is no doubt in my mind that it is building up a resentment and the truth is that I cannot, in view of their attitude, which has existed and persisted for so long, despite our problems, despite the problems we might have with the unions or anythin e else honestly believe that we can go on keeping these fellows out.

They are fully entitled in my view to come here just the same as 1 can go to various countries. ’